User:AaronSw/Bush flip-flops

Contents

1 Fiscal policy 2 Free trade 3 Homeland Security department 4 Environment 5 Abortion 6 LIHEAP 7 China apology 8 McCain-Feingold 9 Gay marriage 10 Affirmative action 11 9/11 commission 12 Additional sources

Fiscal policy

2000: Promised to devote the entire Social Security surplus to reducing the national debt. [1] (http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20010910.html)
2002-2012: Used social security surplus for government operations. [2] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/tables.html)

2001: Promised to retire “an historic $2 trillion in debt over the next 10 years.” [3] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/usbudget/blueprint/bud01.html)
2002-2009: Increased debt by $2.4 trillion. [4] (http://wampum.wabanaki.net/archives/000790.html)

Free trade

2000: Said he was free trade. [5] (http://www.issues2000.org/Celeb/George_W__Bush_Free_Trade.htm)
2003: Increased steel tariffs and farm subsidies. [6] (http://www.independent.org/tii/news/031114Dillon.html)
2004: After EU threats, got rid of tariffs. [7] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/04/elec04.prez.bush.steel/)

Homeland Security department

2002: Opposed creation. [8] (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/19/politics/main522605.shtml)
2002: Strongly supported creation.[9] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A62783-2002Sep24&notFound=true)

Environment

2000: Promised to restrict carbon dioxide at power plants.
2001: Decided not to. [10] (http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/03/14/bush.carbon.dioxide/)

Abortion

1970: Said abortion was “up to a woman and her doctor." [11] (http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20000703&s=corn)
2000: Said abortion should be outlawed.

LIHEAP

2000: Bush: "We've got to make sure we fully fund LIHEAP."
2001: LIHEAP: "[LIHEAP] will face a cut of over $500 million if the budget for FY2002 released today by President George W. Bush becomes law." [12] (http://www.liheap.org/news/news010410-2.htm)

China apology

2001: Ari Fleischer said the United States was declining China's request for an apology. [13] (http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/04/china.aircollision.12/index.html) 2001: The U.S. ambassador to China said in a letter that the U.S. was "very sorry". [14] (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june01/china_plane.html)

McCain-Feingold

2000:

WILL: Would you veto the McCain-Feingold bill, or the Shays-Meehan bill?

BUSH: That's an interesting question. I — I — yes I would…"

[15] (http://www.nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry022102.shtml)
2002: Signs McCain-Feingold. [16] (http://www.commoncause.org/mccainfeingold/bushstatement.htm)

Gay marriage

2000:

KING: If a state were voting on gay marriage, you would suggest to that state not to approve it?

BUSH: The state can do what they want to do.

[17] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/25/elec04.prez.bush.marriage)
2004: "Today I call upon the Congress to promptly pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife." [18] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040224-2.html)

Affirmative action

2003: Bush submits a brief to the Supreme Court opposing U of M's affirmative action program. "[The] method used by the University of Michigan …is fundamentally flawed." [19] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/16/bush.affirmativeaction/)
2004: The Court rules the program is permitted. Bush is "happy the nation's highest court recognized the value of diversity." [20] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/06/23/affirmative.reax/index.html)

9/11 commission

2002: Bush opposed creation of the commission. [21] (http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/20/independent.probe/index.html)
2002: Bush supports creation of the commission. [22] (http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/20/independent.probe/index.html)

2002: Bush promises to allow the families of the victims to select one Republican member of the committee.[23] (http://www.pla.blogspot.com/2002_12_08_pla_archive.html#85713076)
2002: Families choose Warren Rudman, the White House intervenes to keep him off. [24] (http://www.cincypost.com/2002/12/26/editb122602.html)

2004: Bush opposes giving the committee more time. [25] (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0119-02.htm) 2004: Bush supports giving more time. [26] (http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1077951094294140.xml)

2004: Bush says he will limit his time with the committee to an hour.
2004: Bush says he will stay to answer all questions. [27] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43010-2004Mar9?language=printer)
2004: Bush insists he be allowed to testify jointly with Cheney.

2004: Bush says Condoleeza Rice cannot testify, because of separation of powers.
2004: Bush sends Rice to testify.

2004: White House shows Presidential Daily Briefings to Bob Woodward. [28] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4208768/)
2004: White House refuses to provide access to the PDBs to the commission. [29] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4208768/)
2004: White House lets some commissioners look at PDBs. [30] (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/jan-june04/commission_02-11.html)

Additional sources

• CompassionGate (http://www.compassiongate.com/promises/index.htm)
• DailyKos (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/3/7/213753/1954)
• Talent Show (http://www.thetalentshow.org/archives/000811.html)